The present invention relates to a seating system which is capable of accommodating wheelchairs, and in particular, relates to a seating system in which wheelchair locations are provided with adjacent non-wheelchair seating and in which stowable chairs can be easily moved into the wheelchair locations when space for wheelchairs is not required.
At the present time, the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the "ADA") provide that when seating capacity exceeds 300, wheelchair spaces accessible to wheelchair users must be provided at a plurality of locations. Providing permanent wheelchair locations may result in the loss of ticket revenue, unless standard seating can be used in the unused wheelchair locations. To facilitate the use of wheelchair locations for standard seating, various folding seating designs have been developed. For example, a storable seating unit is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,567. A similar seating arrangement referred to as the "Equal Access System" is available from American Seating Company. In these systems, a storable seating unit is foldable and pivotable in the forward direction to a stored position leaving an empty space for a wheelchair. In both of the systems shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,567 and in the Equal Access System, the stowed seat rotates forward and acts as a divider which separates the wheelchair user from an adjacent seat. If two adjacent wheelchair spaces are desired in these systems, the two adjacent wheelchair occupants are isolated from the standard seating on each side of the double wheelchair space. Furthermore, since providing space for two adjacent wheelchairs requires the space normally occupied by three standard (i.e. non-wheelchair) seats, the systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,567 and the Easy Access System of American Seating Company do not maximize the space available when a double wheelchair space is not used.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a seating system which allows for flexibility in the use of wheelchair locations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a seating system in which a variety of wheelchair locations are available throughout a facility without sacrificing the seating capacity of the facility when wheelchair locations are unused.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a seating system which includes stowable seats which are comfortable and easily moved between a stowed and a used position.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a seating system which includes wheelchair locations having adjacent companion seats available for non-handicapped persons who accompany wheelchair users.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a seating system in which two adjacent wheelchair locations are provided, each having a companion seat.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a seating system in which stowable seats are lockable in use positions, and easily moved from use positions to stowed positions.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a seating system in which the hinges and latches used in the movement of the stowable seats from use to stowed positions are sturdy, economical to manufacture and reliable in operation.
Some or all of the advantages of the present invention may be achieved with a seating system comprised of a plurality of stowable seats which are hingedly connected to a fixed seat. The fixed and stowable seats are aligned in a row such that two of the stowable seats can be stowed to create a single wheelchair space, and three stowable seats can be stowed to form a double wheelchair space. The three stowable seats are disposed between two fixed seats, which are not stowable, but which can be used as companion seating adjacent to wheelchair users occupying the wheelchair locations. The two stowable seats which are stowed to create the single wheelchair location are hingedly connected to one another by a simple hinge, and a second, complex hinge connects the pair of stowable seats to an adjacent fixed seat.
To create the double wheelchair space, the first two stowable seats are stowed behind the first fixed chair, and a third stowable seat, initially adjacent to the second stowable seat, is stowed behind a second fixed seat, which is initially adjacent to the third stowable seat. The third stowable seat and the second fixed seat are connected by a complex hinge which includes a hinge link. A similar complex hinge connects the first fixed seat and the first stowable seat. The hinge link separates the fixed seat in each case from the stowed seats which are disposed immediately behind the respective fixed seat so as not to interfere with the folding and unfolding of the fixed seat.
The latches and hinges used to connect and disconnect the various components of the stowable and fixed seats of the present invention, which are described in more detail below, are designed for heavy-duty, durable and trouble-free use. The latches of the present invention lock the stowable seats in use positions so that the stowable seats can be used when wheelchair locations are not required. Each of the stowable seats includes a post and pedestal assembly which, together with the hinged connections, provides the stowable seats with excellent structural stability.